Hamlin injury just another reminder of the risks football players take

Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest on Monday night has left CFL veteran Derek Dennis reflecting on the inherent risks of professional football. Hamlin, a defensive back for the Buffalo Bills, remains in critical condition in a Cincinnati hospital after collapsing on the field in the first quarter against the Bengals. He reportedly received CPR for about nine minutes, and an automated external defibrillator (AED) was needed. Around 19 minutes later, he was taken by ambulance to University of Cincinnati Medical Center. The game, with Cincinnati leading 7-3, was indefinitely postponed. Dennis, 34, said players are trained to treat the sport as “violent” but can forget the danger involved. He cited prior tragedies, including NFL receiver Chuck Hughes, who died after heart failure in 1971.